NFL TV Schedule 2019: Week 1 Coverage Map, Game Times and Predictions

Looking back at Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season, there were some surprising results. The Denver Broncos handled the Seattle Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers outlasted the Chicago Bears, and the Cleveland Browns played the Pittsburgh Steelers to a tie.

It was a fitting first chapter of an exciting and unpredictable season. Week 1 of the 2019 season could well be the same.

To ensure you don't miss any of the action, here you'll find the full opening-week schedule, television-coverage information and score predictions. You'll also find a closer look at two of the week's marquee matchups.

Week 1 Coverage Map (via 506 Sports)

Week 1 Schedule and Predictions

Thursday, September 5

8:20 p.m. ET

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (NBC): Chicago 23-20

Sunday, September 8

1 p.m. ET

Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers (Fox): Los Angeles 29-24

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles (Fox): Philadelphia 33-24

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets (CBS): Buffalo 24-22

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings (Fox): Minnesota 27-25

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins (CBS): Baltimore 27-17

Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars (CBS): Kansas City 28-24

Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns (CBS): Cleveland 28-25

4:05 p.m. ET

Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Chargers (CBS): Chargers 30-22

Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks (CBS): Seattle 33-23

4:25 p.m. ET

San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Fox): Tampa Bay 24-20

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (Fox): Dallas 26-20

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals (Fox): Detroit 22-19

8:20 p.m. ET

Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots (NBC): Pittsburgh 30-28

Monday, September 9

7:10 p.m. ET

Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints (ESPN): New Orleans 30-21

10:20 p.m. ET

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders (ESPN): Oakland 22-20

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Last year's opener between the Packers and Bears was a wild one. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers left the game with a knee injury. By the time he returned to the field, the Packers were down by 20 points.

Rodgers and the Packers rallied for the win, but the knee injury continued to hamper Rodgers throughout the season.

For this matchup—which was made the opener in celebration of the NFL's 100th season—Rodgers is healthy and leading a revamped offense under new head coach Matt LaFleur.

The marriage between Rodgers and LaFleur—and the fact that Rodgers didn't play in the preseason—will be one of the biggest storylines of this game.

As MMQB's Andy Benoit pointed out, this is going to be a transition for Green Bay's franchise quarterback:

"In [Mike] McCarthy’s spread iso approach, Rodgers never had to play under strict dropback timing. He could get the ball out right away or a little later—there was room to play around. But in a system built on highly specified pre-snap gyrations and post-snap route combinations, precise timing is key. And LaFleur is famously particular about details in the passing game—especially at quarterback."

Eventually, LaFleur may make Rodgers a more efficient quarterback, and the Packers a more consistent team. However, there is going to be a learning curve. This will be the first game in which the two are together, and against a defense that allowed just 17.7 points per game last season, that could pose problems.

Expect Rodgers and the Packers to show glimpses of what's to come, but also expect Chicago to limit them just enough to squeak out a win at home.

Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Normally, the defending Super Bowl champions kick off the season at home. This season, the New England Patriots will have to wait until Sunday night to hang their banner.

The league couldn't have picked a more perfect opponent for New England's opener than the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers and the Patriots have developed quite the rivalry in recent years, largely replacing the Indianapolis Colts and Patriots rivalry of Peyton Manning's heyday.

Pittsburgh won last year's matchup 17-10. That game was at Heinz Field, though, and it marked the first time in the last six matchups that the Steelers won. Could the Steelers make it two in a row? It's certainly possible.

While the Steelers no longer have Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, they still have a talented offensive cast. Ben Roethlisberger is still the quarterback, and he has weapons like JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, Vance McDonald and James Conner at his disposal.

While the Patriots still have Tom Brady and will have home-field advantage, they're also notorious for starting the season slowly.

In 2018, New England won its opener but also went 1-2 to start the season. In 2017, they lost their opener against the Kansas City Chiefs 42-27 and went on to start 2-2. Back in 2014, they lost their opener and again started out 2-2.

The reality is that the Patriots treat September like their preseason. They'll accept a couple of early losses if it means finding out what will and won't work later in the season. While Pittsburgh will be highly motivated to knock off their AFC rivals, New England will be motivated to ready itself for November and December.

This is a game that could go either way, but don't be shocked if the Steelers come out on top.